Unexpected Discoveries and Gender Reveals

“You’re asking for the name of your etiquette instructor? Oh, you must mean Gerard Borza. His bald head certainly is quite distinctive.”

“He used to hold a baronetcy, but unfortunately, his family went bankrupt, so he relinquished his title to become an etiquette instructor. His reputation among the servant community has always been excellent, though he does appear a bit strict.”

“You say he’s actually quite strict? He’s always been rather approachable with us, often chatting casually with the servants…”

With the Norman Spring Consecration Festival fast approaching, Cavendish, as was customary, granted the servants a five-day holiday to visit their families.

As for a certain young male servant, being pathetically homeless, he was, at the head maid’s request, relegated to the role of a farewell mascot in the manor’s front yard.

On the morning of their departure, out of respect, he took the opportunity to ask the head maid for the names of the other servants; it would have been quite the blunder to not even know their names when bidding them farewell.

“Ivan, Enzo, Nelson, Al-Aedna, Yuri… yes, I think I’ve got them all. And what about your name, Head Maid?”

“Heh heh, just call me Vanessa. While we’re all away these next few days, I’ll have to trouble you to look after the manor. And when I return, I’ll make sure to bring you a souvenir.”

Vanessa’s kindly face was filled with warmth, for over the past two months, she had watched Rhine grow, little by little, from a shy boy who barely dared to greet anyone, into a graceful and composed young servant.

“My hometown is famous for its fragrant pomelos and tangerines. At this time of year, the trees are absolutely golden, and the tangerines are as adorable as your cheeks, their citrus scent detectable from miles away. When I return, I’ll bring some for you to see and taste; I’m certain you’ll love them too.”

“Thank you, I’ll look forward to it then.”

Smiling, Vanessa, carrying her suitcase, walked towards the street outside the manor, glancing back at Rhine standing by the main entrance and waving to him.

As the afternoon wore on, the servants departed one after another, each unable to resist the urge to playfully touch the “mascot” and pinch his round little cheeks as they exited the main gate.

Naturally, things did not go as everyone wished, and Rhine eventually bristled, kicking each one who approached him.

“You lot, go back to your hometowns!”

With more than half the servants gone, the mansion quickly grew quiet and deserted.

Meanwhile, Audrey and Ursula had been continuously testing the effects of magic potions in the rice paddies behind the gardens, and it seemed Ursula had no intention of returning home for the festival.

According to her, the moment she returned, her parents, aunts, and uncles would launch a coordinated assault, relentlessly pushing her towards marriage, throwing one unfamiliar, odious man after another at her until she developed severe anxiety.

Using the excuse of collaborating with the renowned Audrey on cutting-edge research in the food industry, she could temporarily avoid the pressure. Moreover, holiday overtime came with additional pay; completing this project would give her enough savings to relax for a year or two, so why wouldn’t she seize such a fantastic opportunity?

Given that both sides were preoccupied, Rhine was content with his newfound leisure, smoothly completing the construction of his four-ring circuit in one go, thereby giving birth to the first equilateral triangular magic circuit in magical history.

Next came the intricate task of engraving spell formations onto the circuit, a process that promised to be equally time-consuming and arduous.

Considering all factors, he resolved to innovate completely; since the circuit was novel, the derived spell formations designed to harmonize with it could also be entirely new.

“Newton’s First Law: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Newton’s Second Law: The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. Newton’s Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

“The three laws are articulated quite clearly, so it’s time to put the development of force-field magic on the agenda. By the way, what exactly is Newton? A person’s name or a place?”

Ursula had been exceptionally joyful lately, almost beyond her own control.

Firstly, her developed magic potion had finally received recognition, and from none other than Audrey herself! Aside from Audrey’s noble status as a Cavendish young lady, her numerous groundbreaking academic papers, published from unique perspectives over the years, were enough to command immense respect.

Secondly, she had actually discovered a male-sterile wild rice plant in Audrey’s rice paddies! Coming at the cusp of late spring and early summer, what could this signify? She dared not even imagine. She carefully enshrined the seedling in the laboratory provided by Audrey, guarding it as if it were her own child, fearing even the slightest harm.

She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep a wink, and at the mere thought of the potential impact this new discovery could have on increasing rice yields, she wished she could accomplish years of work in a single day.

‘My luck is truly astounding. Thank you, Miss Audrey, and thank you, Teacher,’ she mused. ‘I could even spend this spring traversing all the rice paddies in Lanburg County, trying to find more excellent seedlings.’

Her teacher had once undertaken similar work, but tragically, he had passed away from a rare disease. The first natural hybrid rice plant he discovered still remained in his laboratory as a cherished relic.

Her teacher had been the most dedicated, and consequently, the most unappreciated, for the court had dismissed hybrid rice as pure fantasy. His unwavering persistence garnered not a single subsidy, and his steadfast pursuit, apart from his students’ support, was met only with misunderstanding and ridicule.

She wholeheartedly supported her teacher’s vision, for if his ideals could be realized, they would solve humanity’s most fundamental problem of survival!

Could even someone as insignificant as her truly accomplish something? She didn’t know, but if she didn’t try, then, just as her teacher had shown her, children in remote counties would continue to starve. If their very survival was in question, how could they speak of ideals or futures?

The more Ursula thought, the more excited she became, but excitement alone wouldn’t help; deities were unlikely to condescend to grant her humble wish by selling her time. With a sigh, she prepared to borrow the Duke’s bathhouse for a quick wash.

Lost in thought, she walked to the bathhouse entrance, dark circles under her eyes, only to coincidentally encounter Rhine, who was also headed there.

“Madam Ursula, are you well?”

“Ah, I’m perfectly fine, couldn’t be better! Are you here for a bath too? Shall we go in together?”

Rhine gave her a strange look, and she distinctly sensed the confusion in his gaze, which, in turn, bewildered her, making her wonder what she had said wrong.

“Uh, is there something odd? I thought you wouldn’t be shy… My apologies, I was too excited and spoke out of turn. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Madam Ursula, that’s not the issue.”

Rhine, blushing with embarrassment, glanced at her, now utterly incoherent, and pointed to the prominent sign above the bathhouse entrance: “Men Left, Women Right.”

Too lazy to explain further, he walked into the men’s bathhouse, leaving Ursula utterly dumbfounded.

“Huh? Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh?!”

Her first reaction was that she must have misread it. She quickly stretched out both hands to reconfirm left and right, then reread the text on the sign.

‘No way! So fair-skinned, so petite, so delicate — he’s practically a flawless girl-next-door type, aside from being a bit sharp-tongued! Though even that sharp tongue is rather cute!’

‘In the end, he wasn’t flat like me!’

‘—It was a little brother after all!’

Utterly flustered, Ursula nervously retreated a few steps.

“This is terrifying. I must be sleepwalking. I should just go back to bed, haha, hahaha~”

Ursula felt that on her return journey, she would most likely need to see a physician.